Abstract
I argue that the new Law of Increasing Functional Information (LIFI), proposed by Michael L. Wong, Robert Hazen, and colleagues (Wong et al. 2023), belongs to this Systemic Functional Level Theory (SFLT), which I present here in this text alongside LIFI, because information requires matter and energy to be generated, stored, transmitted, and processed, in which Functional Information Augmentation is the effect and Systemic Functional Level (SFL) is the cause.
Keywords: Law of Increasing Functional Information, LIFI, Michael L. Wong, Systemic Functional Level, SFL, Systemic Functional Level Theory, SFLT, Energy, Matter, Information, Systems and the origin of life
Introduction
The Systemic Functional Level (SFL) is a measure or degree of a system's functioning in terms of increasing complexity, given by the combination of matter, energy, and information. The amount of information generated, stored, transmitted, and processed by the system has a greater ‘weight’ than the other two ‘variables’. For example, we have less mass than a tiger, we expend less energy, but the amount of information we process, due to our brain, causes the Systemic Functional Level to be higher. Since we are dealing with complex systems, it is impossible to express all of this in formulas, but it would be something like mass x energy x information. He shows how emergent materialism works, in which emergent properties are present, increasing the levels of functionality of systems, contradicting those who think that reductionism is the way scientists think, which is very wrong, because emergence makes all the difference in the formation of complex systems.
The functional level emerges when the interaction between the components of a system generates emergent properties that do not exist in the isolated parts. This holistic approach suggests that systems—from atoms to social beings—evolve through the stabilization of configurations that perform specific functions.
The System Functional Level Theory (SFLT) expands the concept of System Functional Level, not focusing on just one case, that of living beings, but on other complex systems such as galaxy shapes, crystalline cells of minerals, crystals, the origin of life, intelligent life etc., describing the organization of reality in hierarchical levels of complexity. She understands that the universe, as it is and has always been for a very long time, has the potential to generate organized structures, has the potential to generate organized structures, complex or not, and against entropy, in which matter, energy, and information grow together, under very rare conditions, but which exist, forming complex systems in many different ways.
There is a direct relationship between System Functional Level Theory and the Law of Increasing Functional Information. It lies in the convergence of their principles: both postulate that natural systems, living or not, tend to increase their complexity over time. In SFLT, the functional level is the stage where selection occurs; in LIFI, this evolution is quantified by the increase in functional information. In other words, the universe selects configurations that promote stability, dynamic persistence, or functional novelty. If the Systemic Functional Level increases, functional information also increases, being dependent on it. My goal is to show that the Law of Increasing Functional Information is a consequence of the Systemic Functional Level Theory.
In short, this text anticipates the view that evolution is not exclusive to Darwinian biology, but a universal process of complex systems seeking higher levels of functional organization.
1. The SFLT
The Systemic Functional Level Theory posits that the evolution of any system, whether mineral, biological, or technological, is governed by a concomitant increase in its material, energetic, and informational base. According to this theory, functional information does not arise in isolation, but as a direct result of the elevation of the system's functional level.
2. The Axiom of the Systemic Trinity
For functionality to increase, a system must necessarily optimize the relationship between three fundamental pillars. While traditional thermodynamics focuses on the first two, listed in the next paragraph, System Functional Level Theory posits that the evolution of complexity is driven by the interaction of these with a third non-conservative variable:
Mass M: the physical substrate, the structural magnitude, and the gravitational/inertial support.
Energy E: the potential for connection, maintenance flow, work, and metabolic or computational processing.
Information I: the configuration, the design, the specific symmetry, or the code that assigns purpose and constraints to mass and energy.
To formalize this interdependence, System Functional Level Theory is expressed as a function of these variables:
SFLT ≈ f(M ⋅ E ⋅ I^α)
In this expression, α represents the non-linear scaling factor, or informational ‘weight’. While M and E are governed by strict conservation laws, information I is not conservative and is cumulative. The exponent α explains why systems with relatively low mass and energy consumption - such as the human brain compared to larger mammals - can achieve functional levels orders of magnitude higher. These three variables are directly proportional because an increase in, for example, matter and energy, makes it possible for more information to be generated, transmitted, stored, or processed, each one being relevant separately.
As a system evolves, informational density begins to grow exponentially, acting as the main driver of the Law of Increasing Functional Information . Without this modification of the material/energy base through informational weighting, functionality would remain static.
Central postulate: functional information, expressed in the Law of Increasing Information Functional, is the manifestation of the organization of matter and energy at levels of increasing complexity. Without the modification of matter/energy, information cannot be stored or transmitted.
3. The Selection Mechanism for Function
The Law of Increasing Functional Information proposes that nature selects through persistence and novelty. The Systemic Functional Level Theory explains that this selection occurs through the refinement of structure:
Static persistence (e.g., diamond): the increase in the Systemic Functional Level is observed in the transition from isolated carbon atoms to a crystalline lattice. The spatial configuration of 109.5° angles maximizes binding energy and hardness, transforming structural information into physical utility.
Dynamic persistence (e.g., stars and cells): systems that maintain a constant flow. In the case of stars, the evolution of hydrogen and helium into heavier elements increases the number of protons and energy levels (electron shells), raising the cosmic Systemic Functional Level.
Novelty generation (e.g., biological membranes): In a membrane being internally destroyed by an element 'A', allowing the entry of an inhibitor 'B', due to any transformation in its structure without altering the Systemic Functional Level, it is demonstrated that the SFL increases because the system adds this extra element of protection, mass, and a new recognition code, the information.
4. Comparison: Law of Increasing Functional Information vs. Systemic Functional Level.
The relationships below summarize how the Systemic Functional Level acts as the engine behind the observations of the Law of Increasing Functional Information:
LIFI: Universality
SFL: occurs from the atom to software, as everything that exists occupies mass and processes energy.
LIFI: Enhanced Complexity
SFL: is the result of compacting more functions into structures with specific spatial configurations.
LIFI: Purposeful Information
NFS: Information is only functional if there is a physical structure M capable of performing work E.
LIFI: Counterpoint to Entropy
NFS: The Systemic Functional Level is an accumulator of order. In this context, it acts as a local accumulator of order that, by processing external energy flows to organize matter, converts negentropy into structured and persistent functional information. This allows the system to reduce informational disorder and increase its resilience against environmental degradation.
5. The Singularity of the Triclinic System (the turquoise example)
We can use turquoise to illustrate the increase of information through symmetry breaking, being evidence of structural information storage. In the triclinic system of this rock (a ≠ b ≠ c, edge lengths a, b, and c, and angles between atoms different from 90°), the low level of symmetry paradoxically requires a greater amount of specific information to describe the structure than a simple cubic structure. This proves that mineral evolution is not merely a mixing of atoms, but a refinement of positional information and bonds.
Conclusion
The increase in Functional Information is the emergent effect, while the increase in Systemic Functional Level is the fundamental cause. The universe tends to organize systems where matter and energy are shaped by information to ensure persistence; however, this process is not arbitrary. It is governed by the system's ability to act as a local accumulator of order, converting environmental negentropy into stable functional structures.
Within this structure, carbon compounds are like 'sparks of life' (Pinto, 2025) not only because of their chemical affinity, but because they possess unique geometric and energetic versatility, necessary to achieve exceptionally high systemic functional levels. This transition from chemistry to biology marks the point at which the informational component of the Systemic Trinity (M, E, I) begins to increase non-linearly, allowing for the generation of novelty and dynamic persistence. Ultimately, the Law of Increasing Functional Information serves as the macroscopic metric for a deeper thermodynamic drive: the systemic search for higher functional levels.
Reference:
Pinto, A. A. (2019, August 29). Sistemas e a origem da vida [Systems and the origin of life] [Typescript manuscript, registered at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Library, but unpublished]. Argos Arruda Pinto Blog. https://argosarrudapinto.blogspot.com/2019/08/sistemas-e-origem-da-vida_29.html (Original work written 2000).
Pinto, A. A. (2025, December 18). Compostos de carbono: As centelhas da vida: Um texto interdisciplinar [Carbon compounds: The sparks of life: An interdisciplinary text]. Argos Arruda Pinto Blog. https://argosarrudapinto.blogspot.com/2025/12/compostos-de-carbono-as-centelhas-da.html.
WONG, Michael L. et al. On the roles of function and selection in evolving systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 120, n. 43, e2310223120, 2023.
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